Clarifying apparatus



Aug. 1, 1939.

w. B. MARSHALL 2,168,264

CLARIFYING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 1, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet l William fjflurshalb,

1, 1939. w. B. MARSHALL 2,168,264 GLARIFYING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 1, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .5 Q 1. a 7 a i I 1, 4/ k Aug- 1939- w. B. MARSHALL CLARIFYING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 1, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet I5 wiui iw mmu,

Hum-M4 40 Patented Aug. 1, 1939 UNITED ESTATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARK-TING APPARATUS William B. Marshall, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Chain Belt Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a .corporation of Wisconsin Application December 1, 1936, Serial No. 113,670

8 Claims.

The invention relates to clarifying apparatus, and more particularly to mechanism for removing settled solids from the floors of sedimentation chambers, and has for one of its objects to provide apparatus of this character which will be simple in construction, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, install and maintain, and which while primarily designed for the recovery of paper pulp from white water in paper manufacture, is well adapted for other similar industrial uses, and to sewage disposal work.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds the invention consists in the novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like ref erence characters designate like parts in all the views:

Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of a typical clarifying chamber equipped with solids removing mechanism constructed and arranged in ac- I cordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view,

taken approximately on the plane indicated by,

the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a partial side elevational view, illustrating the driving mechanism, the automatic control therefor, and a means for indicating the position of the solids removing apparatus within the settling chamber;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional elevational view, taken approximately on the plane indicated by the line 4-4 in Fig. 1, lookingin the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly in section, of the parts shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6. is an enlarged sectional'oleva-tional view taken approximately on the plane indicated by the line 6-6 in Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the said drawings, I0 indicates generally a clarifying or settling chamber into which the solids-carrying liquid may be introduced in any suitable manner,

and having the longitudinal side walls I l and I2,

the end walls [3 and I4, the top wall I5 and the floor l5, all of which are or may be constructed of concrete. Substantially mid-way between the end walls l3 and I4 the floor I6 is provided with a raised transverse pedestal I'I upon which is mounted in suitable bearings Hi the transversely extending shaft [9. The said shaft extends through the side wall H, a suitable gland or stuffing box 20 being provided to form a liquidtight joint, and outside of the chamber ID the said shaft is provided with a sprocket 2| about which passes a chain 22 which also engages a sprocket 23'driven by means of a suitable motor 24 and speed reducing mechanism 25.

Within the chamber .the said shaft Hlcarries adjacent each of the side walls H and I2 a sprocket 26, the teeth of which sprockets engage with rollers 21 suitably journalled between a pair of longitudinally extending bars 28 best shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. At each end of each of the pair of bars 28 there is provided the straps 29 which embrace and are rigidly secured to the ends of the transversely arranged suction headers 30. The said headers are thus disposed in tandem relationship one to either side of the pedastal I1 and transverse shaft 19, and the bars 28 are of such length that when the left-hand header 30 is adjacent thepedastal H the right-hand header 30 is adjacent the end wall l4, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. As will be readily understood the headers are adapted to be moved over the respective floor areas between the pedastal I1 and the end walls l3 and I4, first in one direction and then in the other, by means of the sprockets 26 which transmit their motion to the rollers 2'l and longitudinal side bars 28, as will be readily understood. The suction headers 30 are hollow as clearly shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, and preferably taper from a substantially circular cross section adjacent their-mid portions to a reduced elliptical cross section at their ends. Each header is pro-, vided in its bottom with a series of holes or apertures 35 affording communication with its interior, and each header is also preferably provided with the pair of spaced longitudinally extending bracing ribs or members 36 brazed, weldcd or otherwise rigidly secured in substantially parallel spaced relationship to its'under face.

At their mid portions the headers 30 are provided with the outlet nipples 31 which receive one end of a flexible conduit or hose 38 which extends upwardly to the swivel connections 39 provided upon the ends of the pipes 40 which project through the side wall ll. from the exterior to the interior of the chamber. The said pipes 40 communicate with the vertical stand pipe 4|, suitable valvcs 42 being provided -to control the flow nected with the suction side of any suitable pump, not shown. by means of which the pressure within the lines- CI and II and the headers 30 may be reduced so as to suck the settled solids 'therethrough, asrwill be readily apparent.

The driving motor 24 is preferably of the reversible type, and is controlled by means of a' suitable reversing switch ll mounted outside of the chamber, see Fig. 3. 4 The said switch in turn is controlled by means of, suitable stops it and I2 adapted to e a e the arm it of the switch as they move in opposite directionsthe said stops being carried by a chain or belt 54 which passes around sprockets II and I, the former of which is carried by the drive shaft ll. The parts are so constructed andarranged that the chain or belt It moves in timed relationship to the reciprocations of the suction headers it so that as they approach their limits of travel'within the chamber, the stops or collars II and 52 will be alternately brought into cut with the switch arm It to produce reversal inthe direction of rotation of the driving motor 24 and consequent reversalof the direction of travel of the suction headers; V

The chain or belt I4 is also preferably provided with an indicator II, which, in conjunction with suitable marks or indicia II upon the outer face of the sidewall ll, will-indicate the location of the headers within the chamber at all times.

Each lower longitudinal corner of the chamber is preferably provided with a metallic .angle member II which serves as a trackfor the rollers 21,

as will be readily apparent from the drawings.

The clearance between the surface of floor l5 and the under surfaces of thespaced header ribs It is such that the latter in conjunction with the headers in effect constitute suction boxes into which the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid tends to force the sludge, from whence it is drawn into the headers II through the apertures 35. 'By

reason of the withdrawal of the sludge by suction applied relatively close to the: chamber floor, eddy currents such as are created bycollectors of the 7 well known scraper type, and which tend to throw low density sediments back into suspen slon, are avoided. 'As aresult the present appa-.

vratus is particularly adaptable to the recovery of sediments having a density only slightly in excess of that of water, and when in use will withdraw sludge having a higher concentration than has been possible with the scraper type of apparatus heretofore commonly employed.

While one form of the invention has been illustrated and described it is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction as well as the precise arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore it is not wished to be limited to the above disclosure 'except'as may be required by the claims. -c

What is claimed is:

1. In clarifying apparatus for solids-carrying liquids, a settling chamber; a plurality of tandem moving said heads back and forth over said floor areas.' Y;

' 2. in clarifying apparatus, for solids-carrying liquids, a-settling chamber; aplurality of transverse tandem arrangedsuction heads extending from wall to wall of said chamberjand disposed for travelover longitudinally adjacent. areas of the floor of said chamber to withdraw settled solids therefrom; longitudinally extending rigid bar members disposed adjacent said floor and connected to said heads for maintaining them in spaced relationfsaidmembers having floorengaging supporting-rolls; a suction line connected to said heads; and drivemeahsengaging; saidrolls for moving said spacing members and heads backand forth over said iloor areas. 1

3. In clarifying apparatus for solids-carrying talningthem in spaced 'relatlon,vsaid members having floor-engaging supporting rolls a suction line connected tosaid heads; a drive shaft extending transversely of saidv chamber intermediate said heads; and sprockets carried by said liquids, a settling chamber; a plurality of'trans 1 vers'ely extending tandem arranged suction heads disposed for travel over adjacent; areas ofthe floor of said chamber to withdraw settled solids 1 therefrom; longitudinally extending members connected to the'ends'of said heads formain shaft engaging said rolls for? moving saidspacing members and heads, V v

4. In clarifying apparatim for solids-carrying liquids, a rectangular settling chamber; plurality of suction heads. extending substantially from wall'to wall of said chamber and disp'o for travel over separate adjacent areas'of its. floor to withdraw settled solids therefrom; means for maintaining said heads in tandem relationship; a suction line havingportions extending-- through a wall of said chamber; flexible conduits connecting said portions with said heads; and a driving wheel mounted in the chamber anddi rectly engaging with-the tandem-maintaining.

means to reciprocate the headsin unisonoversaid floor'areas. v v q 5. Solids removing mechanism for I clarifying chambers, comprising a plurality of suction heads adapted to be transversely disposed in the cheminer for longitudinal reciprocation overadjacent floorareasthereof; members connected to said heads for maintaining'them in -longitudi-' nally. spaced relation, said members comprising spaced longitudinal bars having supporting rolls joumalled between them; and flexible conduits] leading from said heads, arranged for connection with fixed suction conduits extending outside the chamber; Y

6. In clarifying apparatus liquids, a settling chamber; a-suction headdisposedfor travelover the chamber'floor to-withdraw settledsolids therefrom; meansfor supporting said head-in spaced relation to said for solidscarrying chamber floor, comprising memberssecured to the end of thesuction head, provided witha se ries of floor-engaging*rolls;' asuctionline con---- nected to said suction head; and means for mov-' ing said suction head over the chamber floor, i'ne eluding sprocketsmounted in said chamber with their teeth directly engaging and driving-said floor engaging rolls. l I v 7. In clarifying apparatus for liquids carrying 1o low-density solids in suspension, 9. settlingcham -i.

ber; an elongated sediment receiving header having rigid rack-like means including floorengaging rolls at its ends supporting it for travel over the floor of said chamber in proximity thereto, whereby settled solids may be transferred to said header by pressure substantially without the creation of eddy currents which would tend to resuspend said solids in the liquid; a sprocket in said chamber adjacent its floor enag g said rack-like supporting means for moving the header over said chamber floor; and means connected with said-header for conducting the solids therefrom to the exterior of the chamber.

8. In clarifying apparatus for liquids carrying low-density solids in suspension, a settling chamher; an elongated sediment receiving header in said chamber having an apertured wall and longitudinally extending spaced ribs disposed to either side of the apertures and-extending in proximity to the chamber floor'to constitute a suction box; means for moving said header over the chamber floor; and a suction conduit connected to said header, whereby settled solids may be drawn into said suction box and header,

and transferred to a point outside said chamw bet.

WILLIAM B. MARSHALL. 

